Alumni Mentoring

Mentoring and Success at Albion College

Who is an Albion Mentor?

Albion Mentors are Albion alumni, friends, and parents who have successfully navigated college and careers. They enjoy the personal satisfaction of contributing to a student’s growth and the challenge of relating to today’s Albion students. Mentors play a variety of roles, from offering basic advice about a job search to sharing critical insights on career readiness. Combined with assistance from the Career and Internship Center, mentoring can create a powerful environment for student success.

Mentor/Student Relationships: Expectations and Guidelines

Overview

The Albion College mentoring program uses the strengths of the Linkedin network, Albion alumni, and supporters. The Albion Mentoring Linkedin group is a subgroup of the Albion College Official Linkedin group. You will need to be granted permission to be a part of the Mentoring group and will be expected to adhere to strong ethical standards to participate.

Mentoring Topics

Topics that may be covered within a mentoring relationship may be as simple as questions about how to communicate a skill in a resume. Students and mentors may form longer term mentoring relationships that cover choice of career, success in college, and success after college.

Getting Matched with a Mentor

The matching process will materialize in one of a few ways: the public arena of the Linkedin group or through a student reaching out to a specific mentor that is a member of the group. Public postings allow the Career and Internship Center, Alumni, and Parent Leadership offices to monitor and facilitate matches.

Steps for Connecting with a Mentor

Make sure your Linkedin profile is up to date and professional.

Join the Albion College Official Group on Linkedin.

Request to join the Albion College Mentoring Group within the Albion College Official Group (located by clicking on the More tab and then Subgroups).

Post questions or topics where you would like assistance to the group. This could be a request to be contacted by a mentor or a question for the group. Your posts may look something like the following examples:

“I am a junior majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Art. I would like to connect with someone with a similar background to help me explore career options.”

“I am a sophomore majoring in Philosophy and I have not yet chosen a minor. I would like to ask the group their thoughts on this topic.”

“I am looking for a mentoring relationship as I prepare for my junior year with aspirations of going to law school.”

“I live in the Detroit area, and I would like to work in marketing after I graduate. Is there someone in the group that I could meet with while I am home during Thanksgiving Break?”

Make sure that you always follow-up with mentor communications.

When appropriate, foster a longer-term relationship by providing updates once per semester to mentors.

Mentors are not official representatives of Albion College. Make sure to exercise care and be an educated consumer of information.

Terminating the Mentor/Mentee Relationship

There is no formal process to terminate the mentoring relationship. At any time, either the mentor or the student can indicate that contact is no longer necessary. Both the mentor and the student is expected to respect the wishes of the party requesting termination.

Welcome to the Sophomore Year Experience

Midori Yoshii, associate professor of international studies, advises a student during Declare a Major Night 2013.

Engage your community

Practical Knowledge

Congratulations! You have completed your freshman year!

Albion College is committed to your continued engagement with your community and educational process. During your sophomore year, we have activities and events planned to help you succeed in your college career and beyond.

Over the next year, you are expected to engage with your Albion College community through participating in:

Career and Internship Center Employer visits during Fall 2013 and Spring 2014

Serve the People Event – Spring 2014 (Date, time, and location TBA)

Visit with someone from Career and Internship Center about your summer job and tying that into your future

Visit with your academic adviser

Declare a Major Event – February 10-13 (Career & Internships Center)

All sophomores will receive a punchcard in their campus mailbox to record attendance at these events and activities. Each time you attend an event, you will receive an entry for the raffle at the Declare a Major Event in the spring (must be present to win).

Through the Sophomore Year Experience, we aim to make your second year at Albion not just successful, but fulfilling and memorable. If you have questions about the SYE program, please contact the Career and Internship Center and we'll be happy to answer them.

Psychology

The Washington Center: Washington, D.C.

Subjects: One seminar, variable topics. Internship. The Washington Center (TWC) assists students from all academic backgrounds in securing full-time internships in Washington, D.C. Through partnerships with over a thousand organizations in the nonprofit, for-profit, governmental and international arenas, TWC advisors are able to find students opportunities that not only match their professional interests, but also allow them to gain hands-on experience in their respective fields. In addition to the full time internships, students also take one academic course and attend a series of leadership, civic engagement, and professional development programming events. There are up to 30 courses offered each semester and summer across all academic disciplines. Through TWC's programming events, students engage with leaders in a range of fields in both the public and private sectors.

Prerequisities: Junior-level standing is required by Albion College for admission into the program. Other factors that will be considered for admission are maturity level, quality of application materials (statement of professional interest, issues essay, resume, and letters of recommendation), and GPA. The basic GPA requirement is a 2.75, though keep in mind that a higher GPA may be required for the most competitive of placements. Due to background check requirements for some placements, early application submission may also be required. For dates and deadlines, we encourage you to review information on TWC’s website. Lastly, all students attending TWC from Albion must be approved by the campus liaison, Patrick McLean, prior to being granted admission by TWC.

Length: Fall or Spring Semester or Summer Term

Credit: The 4.0 units: 2.0 unit Internship, 1.0 unit seminar, and 1.0 unit for LEAD Colloquium. Summer credit is 2.0 units. Students may choose to have 1.0 unit internship and 1.0 unit seminar, or 2.0 units of internship. Washington Center program is a comprehensive working, learning, and living experience, through which students not only complete a full-time internship, but also take an engaging academic course of their choosing, and attend weekly programming that furthers their professional development and exploration into their chosen career paths. For completion of this program, students receive academic credit directly from Albion College. Upon completion of a 15-week fall or spring semester program, students receive 4 units of credits, two as internship credit and one as seminar credit, and 1.0 unit for LEAD Colloquium. For the summer term program, which is 10 weeks in length, students receive 2 units of credit, one as internship credit and one as seminar, or students may apply both credits towards the internship.

Housing: Most students are housed in The Washington Center's privately owned and operated Residential & Academic Facility (RAF), located in the NoMa neighborhood. The RAF is centrally located and convenient to all forms of public transit, such as the Metro, DC's underground subway system. The Washington Center also partners with other professional-style apartment facilities in the NoMa neighborhood to provide additional housing when necessary. Visit http://www.twc.edu/program-fees for more information on housing.

Cost: Albion College tuition and room charges cover program tuition and room fees.

Costs Not Covered by Albion: The program fees associated with The Washington Center program are covered by students’ tuition charges paid to Albion for the semester or term of attendance. Housing fees are paid directly to Albion College. Students are responsible for travel to and from Washington, D.C., as well as local transportation and living expenses while in the program. Depending on lifestyle, it is estimated that students spend between $125 and $200 per week.

(Note: The U.S. Attorney's office, U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Department of Justice are agencies that require background checks, so students need to apply six (6) months in advance for these programs.)

Comments: The Washington Center offers some scholarships. See the brochure and the faculty advisor. Students should keep in mind that Washington is a very expensive city; internships require local transportation and they should budget accordingly. The Washington Center awards scholarships to between 75% and 80% of the students attending their programs during any given term or semester. To give yourself the greatest chance of receiving one of their awards, we encourage you to plan ahead and apply by the priority deadline. Amounts tend to range between $500 and $3,000. Read the descriptions of the available scholarships on TWC’s website www.twc.edu/internships/washington-dc-programs/program-costs-scholarships/us-students

Contact: If you have any questions about The Washington Center and would like additional details on the program, please contact them directly:

E-mail:
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Main Phone: (202) 238-7900Toll Free: (800) 486-8921Website:www.twc.edu